The Trail That Won't Be Forgotten: 25 Years After 9/11

25 Years Later: The Forensic Investigation of 9/11

September 11th, 2001 changed the world. But behind the images that became etched into history was another story — an unprecedented forensic investigation and the painstaking effort to identify those who lost their lives.

In this special episode of The Evidence Trail, I’m joined by Lydia de Castro, Director of the Division of Forensic Sciences at the Westchester County Department of Laboratories and Research.

Lydia previously spent almost three decades with the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, where she was working when the attacks took place.

Twenty-five years later, Lydia takes us back to that morning and shares her first-hand experience of the forensic response — from the immediate challenges facing her team to the extraordinary difficulties involved in identifying victims.

We also discuss the human side of disaster victim identification, managing teams through unimaginable circumstances, how the experience changed forensic practice, and the lessons that can be passed on to the next generation of forensic scientists.

A powerful and deeply personal conversation about science, loss, resilience and the search for answers.

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